Door for grain-cars and locking device therefor.



N0. 694,462. Patented Mar. 4, |902.

S. A. GRNE. DUUR' FOR GRAINGARS AND LDGKING DEVICE THEREFOR.

(Application led Nov. 9, 1901."

(No `Nudel.)

. mm f .Y l I I n de 26 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

SETH A. CRONE, YORK, N. Y.

DOOR FOR GRAIN-CARS 'ANDQLOCKINGDEvlot-z THEREFOR.

SPECIIEIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,462, dated March 4, 1 902. Application iiled November 9, 1901. Serial No. 81,649. (No model.)

To tif/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETE A. CRONE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofNew York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new vand useful Improvements in Doors for Grain-Cars and Locking Devices Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in doors for grain-cars and locking devices therefor; andconsists in the novel features,'ar rangements, and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide more efficient,durable, and convenient means for hinging and locking the lower hinged panel found in grain-car doors and used asa means for discharging a part of the grain from the car preparatory to the door as al whole being moved upward and then swung inward and secured at its lower end to the top of the car. Grain-car'doors possessing a hinged panel for the purpose referred to are old; but very great difliculty has been experienced in providing adequate and convenient means for enabling the hinged panel to be securely locked and to withstand the great pressure exerted against it by the grain within the car, it being desirable and necessary that the hinged panel successfullyT withstand the pressure of the grain and be capable of being properly locked in closed position by means which shall be durable, inexpensive, and capable of convenient operation.

The invention and satisfactory means for carrying the same into effect will be under? stood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a grain-car door constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section, partly broken away, of same on thedotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlargedside elevation of a porlion of same, this view being presented more particularly for the purpose of illustrating one of the hinges for the panel of the door. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of same on the dotted line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detached suitable construction.

- roof of the car.

enlarged front view of a plate to be carried by the hinged panel and constituting a part of the locking devices. Fig. 6 is a rear view of same. Fig. '7 is a bottom edge view of same. Fig. 8 isa detached front view, partly broken away, of a lever forming a part of the locking'devices. Fig. 9 is a view taken from the inner side of same', and Fig. 10 is a top edge view of same.

In the drawings, 15 designates the grain-car door, and 16 the hinged panel of same, the door 15 and panel 16 being, apart from the features hereinafter referred to, of usual or The door 15 is employed to conti ne the grainV within the car, and at the proper time the panel 16 is opened outwardly to Vpermit as much of the grain as possible to escape, after which under usual conditions the door 15 is moved vertically upward between its side frames (indicated-by dotted lines in Fig. 1) until its upper end reaches the upper ends of said side frames,

whereupon the door 15 is turned inward and the lower end of the door is secured to suitable fastening devices suspended from the After `the doorsl of a car have been thus secured the grain remaining in the car is manuallydiscllarged therefrom.

The present invention Vhas to do with the means for hinging and locking the panel 16, and in accordance with my invention I provide locking means which engage the lower central portion of the panel 16 and hinge said panel at thepoints below the upper edge of same.

vThe panel 16 is provided at its upper corners with plates 17, carryingvthe pins 18,

which project beyond the vertical end edges of the-panel 16 and enter the sleeves 19,

formed in the plates 20, secured to the door 15. The pins 18, cooperating with the sleeves 19, constitute the hinges for the door 16, and said pins and sleeves are disposed below the upper edge of the door, so as not only to afford hinges, but means for Iaiding in preventing the grain within the car from forcing the ends of the panel 16 outward from between their inclosing surfaces. rllhe sleeves 19 are somewhat elongated in a vertical direction, as more clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4; but theinner surfaces of said sleeves will at all times engage the outer surfaces of the pins IOO 18, so as to be capable of binding the ends of the panel 16 in their normal position and aid the same in resisting the pressure of the grain within the car. The purpose of providing the elongation in the sleeves 19 is to enable said pins 18 to move slightly upward in the sleeves 10. Then due to any shrinkage in the door the latter may while being locked in closed position be moved slightly upward.

The door 15 is, above the upper edge of the panel 16, provided with the plate 21, which extends downward below the upper edge of the panel 16 and serves as a brace for the latter when said panel is in closed position, as

shown in Fig. 2. The plate 21 will aid in preventing the panel 16 from being bulged outward at its upper edge under the pressure of the grain within the car, and said plate 21 will not interfere with the operation of the panel 16, since the pins 18 of the hinges are below the upper edge of the panel 16 and enable said edge to turn inward from the plate 21 when the panel 16 is opened. Vhen the panel 16 is moved to its closed position, its upper edge will move outward against the lower projecting portion of the plate 21, and said plate will at such time eoperate with the hinges and the locking devices in enabling the said panel to successfully resist the pressure of the grain within the car.

Upon the lower central portion of the outer face of the pan el 16 is firmlysecured the plate 22, which is provided with the vertical slot 23 and inner recess 21 for the bolt or dog 25, the latter being vertically disposed and extending outward beyond the face of the plate 22 to a suihcient extent to enable its lower edge to engage the teeth 26 of the lever 27, the latter being pivotally secured to the door 15 below the aforesaid plate 22. The dog 25 at its inner end is in the form of a plate 28, confined within the recess 24 of the plate 22, said plate 2S serving to prevent the dog 25 from escaping from the plate 22 and also affording a means for guiding said dog. The dog 25 is also guided bythe opposite vertical faces of the slot 23, along which are anges 29 to strengthen said plate 22 and afford adequate guiding-surfaces for the dog 25. The lower edge of the dog 25 is beveled at one side, as shown in Fig. 5, so that it may be automatically raised by the contact therewith of the beveled sides of the teeth 26 of the lever 27 during the locking of the panel 16. At its lower edge the plate 22 is formed with the inclined or wedge surface 30, (clearly illustrated in Figs. 5 and 7,) whose highest portion is adjacent to the lower end of the vertical slot 23. The recess 21 in the plate 22 inclines outward toward its lower portion, as denoted by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the purpose of this feature of the construction is to cause the dog 25 to remain at the lower end of the slot 23 when the door 15 is turned inward and secured at its lower end to the usual means suspended from the roof of the car, the door 15 at such time being at nearly a horizontal position,

and when the door is in this position the panel 16 will be on the same inclination, and the inelined surfaces of the recess 21 in the plate 22 will tend to keep the dog 25 at the lower end of the slot 23, it being desirable when the door15 is thus secured at its lower end from' the roof of the car that the panel 16 shall remain locked in closed-position otherwise said panel might turn downward and constitute an obstruction.

The lever 27 is mounted upon a sleeve 31, through which passes the securing and sustaining bolt 32 and which is integral with the plate 33, securely fastened to the door 15,below the panel 16 thereof and in line wit-h the plate 22, fastened upon said panel. The lever 27 is formed with the handle 31 at one end, and at its other end said lever is formed with the segment 35, having the teeth 26, and at its inner side being beveled or of wedge outline, as denoted at 36. The lever 27 is formed on its inner face with a hub 38, which passes upon the sleeve 31 and engages the plate The teeth 26 of the segment 35 are beveled on one edge and straight on the other edge, as shown, and when the lever 27 is in position the beveled surface 36 thereof is adapted to be moved against the beveled surface 30 of the plate 22 during the movementdownward of the handle 3l and the consequent movement upward of the teeth 26 below the dog 25. When the lever 27 is turned to a horizontal position,its straight edge 39 will lie just below the lower edge of the panel 16, and at such time the panel 16 may be turned to its open position. Vhen, however, the panel 16 is in its closed position and it is desired to there lock the same, the lever 27 will be turned to its vertical position, this operation causing the wedge surfaces 36 and 30 to move against each other and force the panel 16 firmly to its closed position. When the lever 27 is turned toits vertical position, the teeth 26 will move against the lower end of the dog 25, and the dog 25 will ride over said teeth 26 until the panel 16 has been completely closed, when the' dog 25 will engage the last tooth which passed beyond it and serve to lock the lever 27 in its then position, whereby the lower edge of the panel 16 will become securely bound and locked in its closed position, the dog 25 holding the lever 27 and t-he upper end of the lever 27 binding against the lower portion of the plate 22 and being prevented from springing outward by means of the retaining-bolt 32. When the grain-car door is new, the dog 25 in locking the panel 16 may engage the first tooth of the lever 27; but as the panel 16 becomes worn or warped or otherwise distorted the dog 25 will be enabled to engage the second or third or fourth one of the teeth 26, since under such conditions the lever 27 may be turned to a greater extent for the effectual locking of the panel 16. It

is desired that the panel 16 shall be so securely locked that the jarring of the car shall not be enabled to effect the movement of the IOO IIO

- lock said panel in closed `lever27 or dog 25, whetherthe grain-car door 15 is in its vertical or in its inoperative position, Vsuspended from the ceiling of the car,

and this result is accomplished withftheem! ployment of'my presentinvention.

The panel 16 when closed `is securely held' respectively, by the plate 21 and -lever '27. Should the panel 16 shrink or become worn o117A distorted, the wedge surfaces 30 36 will enable the lever- 27 to force the said panel firmly inward within the outlines of its inclosing surfaces, and should this panel under this'ac-l tion be moved slightly upward (duc tothe inclined upper and lower edges of said panel and its inclosing surfaceslthe pins 18 may pass upward'within the sleeves 19, the latter being vertically elongated for this purpose.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The grain-cardoor having the panel 16, and the hinges for the ends of said panel, said hinges being set below the -upper edge of the' panel and comprising the horizontal pins 18 on which said panel may turn, combined with a locking device for securing the central portion of the lower edge of'sai'd panel, and the plate 21 for bracing the central portion of the upper edge of said panel; substantially as set forth. -Y

, 2. The grain-car door having the panel 16 and an opening for and to receive said panel,

the lower edges of said panel and said open` ing being beveled to effectat the proper time the upward movement of said panel within said opening, and the hinges for the ends of said panel, said hinges comprising the horizontal pins 1S on which said panelmay turn and the sleeves 19 receiving saidpins and being elongated vertically to permitan upward movement of said panel during the firm closi ing of the latter, said pins 18'being set belowA the upper edge of said panel, combined with means forlocking said panel at its lower edge; substantially as set forth.

3. The grain-car door having the panel 16, combined with means forlocking said panel in closed position, said meanscomprising the slotted plate 22 containing in its slot the Amovable dog 25, and the pivoted lever having the toothed endl to be engaged by said dog, said plate being secured upon saidpanel and said lever being pivotally secured to said door below said panel in position when the lever is turned in one direction for said toothed end to pass below said panel and when said lever is turned in the other direction for said toothedv end to-pass upward above the lowered'ge of said panel and against the lower end Vof said dog, whereby said dog is enabled to engage said toothed end and said'lev'eris enabled to position; substantially as set forth.

4. The grain-car door having the panel 16, combined with means `for lockinglsaid panel inv closed position', said'means comprising-the plate 22 fastenedto said panel and having.,r the slot A23 and inner recess 24,'the movable dog 25 withinsaid slot and having the retainingplate 28withinsaid recess; and the lever havingjthe toothed end to be engaged `vby "said dog, said lever being pivotally secured to said door below said panel in-position-when the lever is turned in one direction for said toothed end to pass below said panel a'nd when saidV lever is turned in the other direction for said toothed end to pass upwardabove'the lower edge of said panel and against the lower end of said dog,"'where`by said dog is enabled to engage saidtoothed end and said lever is enabled 'to llock said panel in closedposition; substantially as set forth. 5

5. rlhe grain-oar door having` the panel 16, combined with means for locking said panel in closed position, said meanscomprising the plate 22 fastened to said panel and having the slot 23 and downwardly-and outwardly inclined inner recess 24the movable dog 25 within said slot and having the retainingplate 28 within said recess and against the inclined surfaces thereof, and the lever having v i Y is turned in the other direction for said toothed end to pass/upward above the lower edge of said panel and against the lower end of said dog, whereby said dog'is enabled to engagesaid toothed end and said lever is'enabled to lock said panel in'closed position;

'substantially as set forth.Y l

6. The grain-car door`having-thepanel 16, combined with means for locking said panel in closed position, said means comprising the plate 22 fastened to said panel and having the movable dog -25, and the lever 27 ihaving at one end the teeth 26 to be engaged by said dog and provided on `its inner facewith the wedge-surface 36 to engage' the ou'terr'face of said plate 22 for forcing'said panel to closed IOO IIO

position, said lever being pivotally secured'to,`

said door below said panel in position when.

the lever is turned in one direction for said toothed end to pass below said panel and when said lever is turned in theother directionlfeor'A said toothed end topass upward 'above the lower edge of said panel and against lthe `lower end of'said dog, whereby said dog is enabled to engage said toothed end'and said le ver is enabled to-locks'aid panel in'closed position; substantially as set forth.-

7. The grain-car door having the;panel-16,

combinedlwithmeans f orrlocking sa'idpanel in closed position, said meanscomprising the plate 22 fastened to said panell and-having the movable dog 25 and exposed*wedge'sur face 30; and the pivoted lever"27 having-at" one end the teeth 26 to be'engaged by saiddog and providedonits inner face 'with the wedge surface 36 to` engage the said wedge surfacet 30 for forcing-said panel to` closed irposition,

said lever being pivotally secured to said door below said panel in position when the lever is turned in one direction for said toothed end to pass below said panel and when said lever is turned in the other direction for said toothed end to pass upward above the lower edge of said panel and against the lower end of said dog, whereby said dog is enabled to engage said toothed end and said lever is enabled to lock said panel in closed position; substantially as set forth.

8. The grain-ear door having the panel 1G therein, and the hinges for the ends of said panel, said hinges comprising the horizontal pins 18 and sleeves therefor, said` pins being set below the upper edge of the panel and SETH A. CRONE.

Witnesses:

CHAs. C. GILL, ARTHUR MARION. 

